SEN2gether

Jo Richardson Community School is a mainstream secondary school with an SEN unit in Dagenham, Barking and Dagenham, for children and young people aged 11 to 19. Its SEN unit has 26 places for autism.

  • Ages 11–19
  • 1,696 pupils
  • Ofsted: Outstanding

School details

Type
Mainstream school with an SEN unit
Ages
11 to 19
Boys and girls
Boys and girls
Specialist base
An SEN unit, 26 places, 26 pupils
Pupils
1,696
Headteacher
Ms Lisa Keane (Headteacher)
Council
Barking and Dagenham
School reference (URN)
133561

Needs its base supports

1 need: autism

As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.

Communication and interaction

How to get a place

4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
  1. An EHC plan

    Places in an SEN unit or resourced provision are usually for children with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.

  2. Visit and ask about the base

    See the school and its specialist base, and ask how children split their time between the base and mainstream classes.

  3. Ask for the school to be named

    Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Barking and Dagenham council) that you want this school and its base, and ask them to consult it.

  4. Named in the plan

    If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Places in the base itself are agreed between the council and the school, so ask how they decide.

Questions to ask when you visit

8 questions to tick off as you go

Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.

Ofsted

Rated Outstanding, May 2024; school remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next (January 2023)

Rated Outstanding at its last graded inspection, in May 2024.

  • Quality of educationOutstanding
  • Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
  • Personal developmentOutstanding
  • Leadership and managementOutstanding
  • Sixth formOutstanding
  • SafeguardingEffective

Since then: School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next (ungraded inspection, January 2023).

Contact and getting there

Castle Green, Gale Street, Dagenham, RM9 4UN

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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive

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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.

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Other SEND schools nearby

All SEND schools in Barking and Dagenham

By need in Barking and Dagenham: Autism (19) · Moderate learning (10) · SEMH (6) · Speech and language (6) · Severe learning (5) · PMLD (5)

Questions about Jo Richardson Community School

How do I get a place in Jo Richardson Community School’s specialist base?

Places in an SEN unit or resourced provision usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult the school about its base. If the school is named in the plan it must admit your child; places in the base itself are agreed between the council and the school.

What needs does Jo Richardson Community School support?

Autism. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.

What ages does Jo Richardson Community School take?

Aged 11 to 19, boys and girls.

What is Jo Richardson Community School’s Ofsted rating?

Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in May 2024 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.

Where is Jo Richardson Community School?

Castle Green, Gale Street, Dagenham, RM9 4UN, in Barking and Dagenham.

School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.

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